This invention relates to a workbench and, in particular to a workbench having a three legged support frame that can be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled for ease of transportation and storage.
Most transportable work benches used by carpenters and other artisans whose work takes them to remote locations. generally consist of two four legged saw horses over which is placed a flat wooden panel which provides a working surface. Although, this type of bench can be easily erected and broken down at a work site, the assembled bench is generally unstable even when the saw horses are seated on a solid flat surface such as a concrete floor or the like. Each saw horse has four legs making a total of eight legs supporting the bench. If any of the eight legs is not securely resting on a support surface, the entire bench assembly will wobble when placed in use. Under certain loading conditions the bench may collapse and thus endanger the user, particularly where he or she is using a power tool. Although the bench can be broken down into three separate sections, each sawhorse is relatively bulky and therefore, difficult to store or load in the back of a truck.
Collins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,161 describes a collapsible four legged workbench that includes two spaced apart metal leg sections containing a pair of legs. The leg sections are attached to a central beam by a hinged bracket that enables each leg sections to be folded inwardly against the beam for ease of storage and/or transportation. Although the Collins work table represents an improvement over the conventional sawhorse assembly in that the number of support legs is reduced from eight to four, the four legged configuration still does not furnish the all around stability required by most skilled workmen. Again, the four legged bench like the eight legged counterpart can only be safely erected on a very flat and smooth support surface. Furthermore, the hinged bracket used by Collins becomes worn with time and use and thus can weaken to a point where the bracket fails. The bench typically collapses when it is being used and such failure can lead to injuries.
Arent, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,627 describes a three legged sawhorse. The sawhorse consists of a horizontal beam having two inclined legs attached to one end and a single leg attached to the other end. The sawhorse, however, cannot be broken down and the beam provides the user with only a limited amount of working area.